By Sean Ruppert, Staff Writer
HIGHTSTOWN The town’s moratorium on the issuance of new licenses for taxicab companies and drivers will remain in place after the Borough Council defeated a measure that would have lifted the ban by a 4-2 vote.
Councilwoman Isabel McGinty and Councilman Dave Schneider were the only two members that voted in favor of lifting the moratorium.
In December 2008, the council adopted a resolution that extended the previous 2008 licenses through 2009 and prohibited the issuance of licenses to new companies and drivers. The moratorium was put in place in anticipation of the adoption of a new ordinance that will govern taxis in the borough. Officials had hoped to have the ordinance ready by the spring of this year.
The issue of how many cabs come into the town has produced complaints from some residents for several years, and a rough draft of the ordinance presented to the council earlier this year would among other things limit the number of companies in town.
However, work on that ordinance being done by a committee whose membership includes Councilman Mike Theokas, GOP council candidate Esther Velázquez and police Chief James Eufemia has yet to be completed.
On July 6, Ms. McGinty argued that continuing the moratorium is preventing the borough from enforcing the rules it currently has on the books, and possibly creating an underground economy of drivers who can’t get licenses from the town.
Ms. McGinty said that because the borough had extended the existing licenses for businesses and drivers, it had not performed the inspections and reviews that are normally done when they apply for their yearly renewal. She added that there is some turnover in drivers as well, and the fact that the borough will not license new drivers could be forcing some companies to hire drivers who do not have one from the town.
Ms. McGinty argued that the borough should lift the ban and require the companies to come in for license renewals because they did not know how long it would take for the new ordinance to be completed and passed, and should at least perform the proper inspections in the meantime.
”We need to review the cabs that are on the street and make a determination if they should be licensed,” Ms. McGinty said. “There is a growing population of taxis and a lack of supervision.”
She added that the council should not count on there being new rules because there was no guarantee that the ordinance will be passed when it is presented, and that even in a best-case scenario she was not hopeful that it could be passed before late September or early October.
Mr. Theokas disagreed, however, saying that the new ordinance was close to being completed, and could be introduced at the council’s next regular meeting in August. He added that lifting the ban and allowing additional cabs and possibly more cab companies to be licensed could create contradictions if the ordinance they are working on is passed.
”This resolution is a short-term look at a long-term problem,” he said of the measure to lift the moratorium.
”Doing this would be taking action on speculation of a problem when we don’t even know if we have a problem,” Mr. Theokas added.
Among the proposed new rules included in the rough draft of the ordinance were a limit of three cab companies to be headquartered in the borough, the same number that currently exists.
Councilmen Jeff Bond and Larry Quattrone who both voted against lifting the ban said they were concerned that lifting the moratorium before the anticipated new ordinance could create problems later on if more licenses are given out under the current rules than the new rules would allow.
”My fear is that if we pass this we will have to start all over again,” Mr. Bond said.
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